Get Involved
Interested in joining The Lafayette?
We’re interested in you joining! Use the table of contacts below to read more about how you can get involved. Please contact [email protected] or the corresponding contacts for each section to express interest or ask questions.
Writing
We are always looking for new writers for our News, Culture and Sports sections. You do not need any prior journalism experience to join! All new writers attend a 45-minute training session before writing — we’ll give you all the tools you need to be successful.
Commitment:
You will begin as contributing writers who may opt in to write an assigned story. Contributing writers are not obligated to sign up for any given week except for the week after their training session. Once a contributing writer has opted in, they have committed to writing the story assigned to them. Contributing writers are not limited to any single section.
A contributing writer may be promoted to staff writer if they show commitment, effort and interest to The Lafayette. Staff writers are expected to write at least one story per weekly issue.
Writers are not expected to attend meetings of The Lafayette’s editorial board but are encouraged to attend editing meetings on Wednesday evenings to receive live edits and feedback from their editor.
Responsibilities:
Writers are sent story assignments by their editor on Friday afternoon. A completed story draft is due to their editor by the following Wednesday at 12 p.m., The Lafayette’s standard publication deadline. Writers are responsible for reporting and writing their articles, adhering to the policies of The Lafayette and maintaining consistent communication with their editors. Writers will receive written story feedback from their editor on Wednesday or Thursday.
Contacts:
Andreas Pelekis, News Editor
Makenna McCall, News Editor
Natalia Ferruggia, Culture Editor
Grace Sanborn, Sports Editor
Editing
Copy editors are The Lafayette’s last line of defense against errors before publication. Every Thursday morning, the copy editing team comes in and reviews the week’s article with fresh eyes, finding typos, asking questions and poking holes in our writing. No prior experience is required, but the job is a good fit for those who enjoy writing and consider themselves detail-oriented.
If you are interested in joining our editing process at an earlier stage, get involved as a writer first! Most editors spent at least a semester as a staff writer before being promoted to section editor.
Commitment:
Copy editors are expected to be in the newsroom, Farinon 105, at some time between 8 a.m. to noon on Thursdays, as their time permits. Copy editors are welcome to leave for class or sleep in past 8 a.m. (though we’re always happy to see fellow early risers).
Responsibilities:
Copy editors will be given access to our WordPress website to edit articles before publication. They will carefully read through articles of their choosing, editing and checking for AP style, spelling, grammar and comprehension until every article has been copy-edited at least twice. These articles have already undergone extensive editing from at least four other editors the night before.
Copy editors are also asked to review the print edition to look for layout errors.
Contacts:
Selma O’Malley, Managing Editor
Elisabeth Seidel, Managing Editor
Photographing
Like writers, we are always on the hunt for more photographers! Again, no prior photography experience or equipment is required. Photographers may borrow cameras, use their own or rent one for free from Skillman Library.
Commitment:
Similarly to writers, photographers begin as contributing photographers who may opt in to produce work for any given weekly issue. Contributing photographers are not expected to sign up for any given week.
A contributing photographer may be promoted to staff photographer if they demonstrate commitment, effort and interest to The Lafayette. Staff photographers are expected to take assigned photos per weekly issue. Photographers are not expected to attend any meetings of The Lafayette and can expect to communicate with the photo editor over text and email primarily.
Responsibilities:
Photographers are sent their photo assignments on Friday or Saturday and are expected to submit their photos to the photo editor by the following Wednesday at 4 p.m., The Lafayette’s publication deadline. Photographers are responsible for taking assigned photos, adhering to the policies of The Lafayette and maintaining consistent communication with their editor.
Once submitted, all photographs will be edited by the photo editor for visual appeal and precise printing.
Contacts:
Emma Sylvester, Photo Editor
Illustrators
We always look to make our paper as pretty as possible, and that involves student artwork and design! If you are interested in producing graphics or illustrations for The Lafayette, please contact one of our design directors below.
Illustrators may be given specific guidelines for a piece or asked to produce something in line with a broader topic. To maintain a consistent style, all graphics and illustrations for The Lafayette should be produced digitally.
Art is, of course, subjective, but The Lafayette retains the right to cease work with illustrators whose personal style is determined to be not compatible with the needs of The Lafayette.
Commitment:
Illustrators who commit to a piece assigned by a design director are expected to submit their artwork according to an agreed deadline.
Responsibilities:
Illustrators should have some prior experience with a digital artwork platform and be willing to work with the design directors to workshop a shared vision for the piece. Contributing illustrators should be prepared for possible edits and feedback on the draft they submit before a final draft is decided on.
Contact:
Naomi Shertzer, Design Director
Jen Parsons, Design Director
Miley Hamilton, Assistant Design Director
Business
The Lafayette offers several positions available to students more interested in the logistical side of running a newspaper. Our business team oversees a group of deliverers, essential for distributing our print publication across campus and downtown Easton to ensure that our newspaper doesn’t exist in a vacuum and keeps our community informed!
If you are interested in a position on our business team related to advertisements, subscriptions or fundraising, please contact our business team below.
Commitment:
Deliverers are expected to be at the newsroom at around 10 a.m. every Friday, about when the copies of the weekly issue are delivered. Deliverers will be assigned a route that should take no more than an hour.
Occasionally (more than we’d like), our copies are delivered late. While we don’t expect deliverers to necessarily be available when they do arrive — whenever that ends up being — we ask that they pay attention to the delivery GroupMe to see if and when they can deliver.
Responsibilities:
Deliverers are expected to adhere to their assigned route, distributing an appropriate amount of copies at each signified location according to the guidelines they will be provided.
Contacts:
Noam Raich, Delivery Coordinator
Luca Ferrucci, Business Director